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Topic Review (Newest First)

11-30-2006 08:57 PM

SailinJay

Since it's been more than 19 months since he posted, let's hope he's figured it out.

11-30-2006 02:47 PM

normofthenorth

The 0-360 bezel is basically a mnemonic to help you remember the wind direction. Set it so the wind direction is at the top, and the other markers will make some sense: "Windward Leg" at the top SHOULD point straight up the leg (but usually doesn't in the real world! ).
"Starboard Tack Angle" and "Port Tack Angle" each give you a couple of marks, either because some boats (and skippers!) point higher than others, or to show you lifted and headed angles. They're seem to range from around 34 degrees off the wind down to around 45.
The "+/-" marks at 3:00 and 9:00 are (I think) just to remind you that lifts are towards windward and headers aren't.
"Starboard Reach" and "Port Reach" are to give you an idea of where a reasonable angle might be for "tacking downwind".
And "Running" shows a small range of angles around dead downwind.
I'm taking those marks from my Citizen Navisail "Stars & Stripes" model (the older one, without the solar cell), and I'm using a magnifying glass, because there's no way I can see that type with my normal glasses!
I race sailboats (15' Albacores) constantly, and I have NEVER used that bezel during a race, mostly because my Suunto tactical compass gives me all that information, and more, and clearer and better.
In fact, I've completely stopped using my Navisail watch in races, because its most amazing feature -- the complex beeps that tell you exactly how much time is left before the start, 5 for 50 seconds, 4 for 40, etc. -- is pretty useless when the wind is above maybe 8 knots, because I usually can't hear it. So I've switched to some Casio watches that beep dumber but louder. (And I'm shopping for a Ronstan that I'll be able to read without hardly even looking!)
I still love my Citizen watch, but I only wear it on shore! I do wish it had a backlight and an hourly chime, both of which are missing. But it's still a gorgeous and impressive watch. I've even had a couple of jewelers stop me and ask to look it over!

Norm in Toronto

05-03-2005 07:27 AM

gstraub

Yacht watch help

The watch is probably digital, but the other use for a bezel like that is that you can make your watch a compass. Aim the hour hand at the sun. South is now midway between the hour hand and 12. North is the other way. Set 0 on your bezel to north and you have a compass...well maybe more of a pelorous. If it doesn''t have any hands, guess you can guess pretty close where they would be!

I have a digital watch with a bezel like that and sometimes I''ll set it to the course I''m supposed to be on now or next, so I don''t forget.

Gerhard

05-02-2005 08:33 PM

camaraderie

Yacht watch help

The bezel is for when you go diving...set zero on bezel at minute hand and you''ll know how long you have left by just looking at the bezel where you''re down below and might otherwise forget the time you started.

05-02-2005 12:19 PM

aflanigan

Yacht watch help

Twolf,

Which model do you have? Sailhawk?

I have a Casio sea pathfinder that has a rotatable bezel and a compass. Even with the compass I have yet to use the bezel for anything when racing or daysailing. If you had a built in compass you could, I suppose, note the bearing of the wind and rotate the bezel so that the number matches the "upwind" direction on your watch face, and then you would be able to see what compass heading you need to take to assume different points of sail, but it''s easier to figure this information out directly from the compass mounted on your bulkhead (or wherever it is on your boat). I guess if you have a digital compass that lacks a circular scale to look at the bezel might help with this kind of thing.

My opinion is the numbered bezel on any yachting watch is mostly window dressing to let people know you''re wearing a yachting watch instead of a michey mouse watch. At best I use my bezel to occupy my hands out of nervous habit (it''s less disgusting than chewing my nails or picking my nose in front of the crew).

Allen Flanigan

04-27-2005 01:51 PM

Sailormon6

Yacht watch help

Two weeks and nobody has answered. Just as I suspected. Nobody knows how the damn things work! ;/)

04-13-2005 11:28 AM

ThunderWolf

Yacht watch help

I just got a new Cititzen Yachting watch. I''m a little lost on how to use the bezel properly.